burdette



Aug. 1s, 1.925.

v R. S.'BURDETTE AIR BAG AND METHOD OF CONSTHUCTING THE SAME original Filed Sept.

29, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v NVENTOR *Qichurd $.Burdatte,

ATTORNEY .Aug. 18, -1 925. Re. 16,142

R. S. BURDETTE AIR BAYG AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING THE SAME original Filed Sept. 29, 1921 zsheezs shon 2 INVENTOR Rmhard .Burdefia,

Reissued Aug. 18, 1925.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

3101mm: s. BURDETTE, on AKRON, OHIO, ,ASSIGNOR TO THE Go onYEAn TIRE Ai /RUB- BER. COMPANY, or AKROLL-OHIO, A CORPORATION or oHIO?- AIR BAG AND METHQD OF CONSTRUCTING THE SAME.

Original No. 1,412,799, dated April 11, 1922, Serial No. 504,211, filed September 29, 1921. Application for reissue filed June 27, 1925. Serial No. 40,119.

To all whomc't 'niag concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD S. Bunnnr'rn, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Akron, Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in of Constructing the Same,'of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in airbags and to methods of constructing such articles, and comprehends particularly that class of, bags designed for use to effect expansion of a tire casing against its mold, or wrapping, as applied in the tire manufacturing and repair industry. v

In my copending application, Serialv No. 502,965,, I have disclosed a type of airbag, that embodies, in its structure, reinforcing features which are designed to prevent, in (313611..01'1, expansion of the bag in the di rection of its major axis, and to permit of its expansion in alateral direction.

The present invention is directed, broadly, toward providing an improved structure over that disriose in said copending application, and a practical method of construct ing the improved article.

Specifically, more advantageous arrangement and utilization of the" materials comprising the reinforcing features disclosed, in principle, in said copending application, with the particular aim in view of accomplishing an appreciable saving in such materials, and at the same-time of providing an article that possesses superior structural and functioning characteristics. I

The foregoing, and other advantages, may be obtained in airbag construction, through the practice hereinafter described in detail, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings as exemplifying preferred embodiments of my lnfQlltlOll.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification: Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred type of airbag constructed through the practice of this invention; 7

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating certain structural features of the airbag with other structural features eliminated;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the bag shown in Fig. 1;.

Air Bags and Methods the invention comprehends a Fig. 4 is a similar Vie with parts showlng its section,'of-the' opp te end of the bag shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 8 IS a sectional elevation, illustrating a step in the construction of the'airbag;

Fig. 9 is a side elevational view, illustrating a second step in the construction of the airbag; and

Fig. 10 is a side 'elevational view, illustrating still another step in the construction of the airbag.

Referring to the drawings, andparticl'u larly to Figs. 1 to 4, which illustrate a preferred type of airbag constructed in accordance with the invention, it will be seen that the structure cor'nprises, in' general, certain basic features set forth in my before mentioned copending application. That is to say, it includes an expansible body portion, or container, 1 that is adapted to expand under internal fluid pressure, and a casing 2 that embodies structural features designed to prevent elongation of the container, or to at least reduce such 'elongative action to a minimum degree. However, in this instance, the casing, instead of being formed in substantially a continuous piece, as in my copending application, is constructed of a plurality of elements which are formed, and

7 Fig. 6 is an end view of the bag shown in' I Fig. 5, illustrated on an enlargedscale;

tainer 1, and, moreover, may be constructed with a marked saving in cost, as will presently be apparent.

The container 1 may be formed of any suitable composition of rubber, either partially vulcanized, or unvulcanized, and-be provided with any suitable form of valve designatedby the numeral. Preferably, it is constructed, as in my'copendiug application, in half sections 4, one of which is illustrated in Fig. 8, each section being preshaped upon a mandrel such as that designated by the numeral 5. The valve stem 3 may be inserted in the end of either section 'as desired, or it may be positioned at a later stage'in the Construction of the container.

of the drawings, is formed of gaplurality" of strips 6 of cord fabric that is cut in the I direction of the lay of the cords, although it is to be understood that other materials may. beutilized, for instance, fabric which possess, when out in strip form, a capacity for stretch in a lateral direction. wlth relatively less capacity for stretching action in the direction of the lengthof the strips. The

stripsG are arranged in pairs, the strips of 7 each pair lying in alignment with their respective ends spaced from each other to provide slots 9, clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and designed to serve a purpose presently explained. Ereferably the ends of the strips fi are cut on the bias to thereby form the slots 9 at an oblique angle, as clearly shown, and it is to be understood that as many strips may be utilized as will be deemed expedient. Also they may vary in width in accordance with the number used and the diameter of thecontainer. Each strip 6 is so disposed relative to the container 1 that, interinediatedts ends, it

spans or traverses one end of the container, and provides a long end portion 1O,'and a.

relatively short end portion 11 that are arranged respectively upon opposite'sides of the container, prefc'rably, in parallelism with each other and in diametrically o posite relation with respect thereto. .The unction of these strips, as previously indicated,-

= to prevent elongation of the. container when fluid under pressure is introduced therein, and in order 'to' utilize the. fullstrength of the cords of the strips to pre-- vent such action of the container, I preferably arrange the strips to: dispose the cords thereon substantially in parallelism with the major axis thereof. As shown in Fig. 2, the end portions 10 and 11 are arranged in edge to edge relation and in alternating order, thatis to'say, the long end 10 of one strip is positioned upon one side of the container and its short end upon the opposite side of the bag, while the contiguous strip is rcvcrsely arranged.

By virtue of thisassembly 10 and 11 of each stripya dove-tail arrangement of the strip ends is effected, with the long end of one strip lying intermediate the long ends of adjacent strips, clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Also this assembly of the strips 6 provides for an auggrrlalcgl,superposed, relation of those por- 'tainer 1.

of the ends tions thereof that span thecnds of the con- An additional reinforcement is thereby provided for the container at the apices of its end portions, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. ment is highly desirable, since these portions of the bag are in no way supported -by the mold or wrapping during the vulcanizing process, as will readily be seen. In connection with the relation of the strips at the ends of the container, it will be noted that one, or, if desired, several, of the strips is provided with a free portion at he apex 'of one end of the container which serves as a. loop towhich a suitable handling medium, such as a tape 13, may be attached in th manner illustrated in Fig. 3. i 1

The structure so far describedis provided with an exterior-coating 14 of resilient vulcanizable material, that isdisposcd thereon in such manner that the free ends of the casing are exposed, and also certain intermediate portions of the casing, preferably those in which the slots 9 occur. One end ofthe casing, or both, if desired, may be provided with an additional reinforcement in the. form of a cap piece, designated by the numeral 15, which,may be formed of suitable material, either flexible, as ind-icated'in the drawings, or otherwise.

The structure thus formed. is next vulcanized in a, mold and under internal pressure that is admitted through the valve stem Such reinforceany 3, whereby the material of .the container 1,

the vcord elementsof the strips 6, and the coating 14 are formed into acomposite "structure, as will be, readilyunderstood.

The slots;9 andthe peculiar disposition of the coating 14 .are. designed 'to serve a specific purpose.- of greatimportance parto great compression by the fluid pressure therewithin, which forces them against the mold. Obviously, any air whiclrhas be come entrapped between the container 1 and the strips, or between the stri )s' and the coating, during the assembly oi 'theseelements must be released in order that the formation of air pockets between these several materials may be prevented, and the deteriorating effects upon the bag of this particular contingency removed from consideration. By spacing the ends of the strips, in' the manner described, to form the slots 9, and leaving portions of the several slots, together with the end portions of the casing, exposed, such. accumulated air will be free to escape, principally through the slots "9, before the materials have become terials comprising the airbag aresubject-edf clusters,

illustrative and is not to been illustrated inwhichthe strips (3 are arranged in spaced relation around the con tainer 1*. It will be noted, however, that in this instance the strips reinforce only the end portions of the contaimrr. In other words they are arranged to lcavea free zone of the container exposed intermediruc its end portions. In other respects the an rangement of the strips per se is substantially the same as that previously described, that is to say each strip spans one end of the container 1, and preferably comprises a long end portion 7 and a short end portion 8 which are disposed, respectively, in paral lelism upon opposite sides of the container 1, and in the direction of the length thereof. vIn this form, however, the ends of each strip may be of even length, but of alternately different length for each strip.

In certain sizes of air bags a reinforcement of this nature has been found advantageous in preventing, to a satisfactory degree, elongation of the container, and to provide a relatively more flexible article.

Although a preferredform of the invention hasbeen illustrated and described, together with one logical modification thereof, it will be appreciated that both the structures and the method herein described are susceptible of a wide range of modification. For instance, instead of utilizing strips of cord fabric, .in which thecords are held together by a vulcanizable medium, similar cord elements maybe .used singly or, in or, as previously stated, strips of fabriomay be used in which the capacity for stretch in the lengthwise threads is negligible when compared to that in "the cross threads.

In other words, the disclosure is merely be viewed as in any Way limiting the scope of the invention, unless such limitations are indicated in the appended claims.

.lVhat I claim is:

1. An elongate container adapted to is ceive fluid under pressure comprising a resilient ,body portion having incorporated therein flexible reinforcing strips arranged respectively to traverse one end of the body portion and to restrict expansive action of the body portion in a longitudinal direction only. 7 p

2. An elongate container adapted to receive fluid under pressure comprising a resilient body portion including strips of flexible reinforcing material. arranged respectively to traverse one end of thebody portion and to restrict expansive action of said body portion in a longitudinal direc tion only.

An elongatecontainer aidapted to receive fluid under pressure comprising a resilient body portion of vulcanized material having incorporated therein through the process of vulcanization flexible reinforcing strips arranged respectively to traverse one end of the body portion and to restrict expansive action of said body portion in a longitudinal direction only.

4;. An elongate container adapted .to receive liuid under pressure comprising a resilient body portion having incorporated therein strips of flexible unnoven material arranged respectively to traverse one end of the body portion and to restrict expansive action of said body portion in a longitudinal direction only.

5. An elongate container adapted to re ceive fluid under pressure con'iprising a resilient vulcanized body portion having incorporated therein strips of cord fabric arranged to restrict elongation of the body portion while permitting free expansion thereof in a transverse direction.

6. An elongate container adapted to receive fluid under pressure comprising a resilient vulcanized body portion having incorporated therein strips of cord fabric arranged to restrict elongation of said body portion while permitting free expansion thereof in a transverse direction said strips being disposed in edge to edge relation;

7. An elongate container adapted to receivefluid under pressure comprising a resilient body portion including non-stretchable reinforcing strips arranged. respectively to traverse opposite side portions and one end of the body portion the side traversing portions of each strip being disposed substantially in parallelism with the major axis of said body portion.

8. An elongate container adapted to receive fluid under pressure comprising a resilient body portion including non-stretchable reinforcing strips adapted respectively,

to traverse opposite sides of said body portion-and one end thereof.

9. An elongate container adapted to receive fluid under pressure comprising a resilient body portion having incorporated therein flexible reinforcing strips adapted respectively to traverse opposite side portions of the body portion and one end thereof.

10. An elongate container adapted to receive fluid'under pressure comprising a resilient body portion having incorporated therein flexible reinforcing elements ar ranged respectively in -U+ formation to traverse one end of the body portion the individual ends of each element being disposed upon opposite sides of the body portion.

11. An elongate container, adapted to re ceive fluid under pressure comprising a resilient body portion having incorporated therein strips of flexible maiial arranged respectively in -U- format a ubsta-ntially in parallel relation-and into traverse one end pf the body portion the individual 7 said end portions bein ends of each strip being disposed in parallelism with the major axis of the container and upon opposite sides thereof.

12. An elongate conlainc' adapted to re ccive lluid under pressure comprising a resilient body portion having incorporated therein strips oillexiblc unn'ovcn niaterial arranged respectively to traverse one end of the body portion and to provide end portions disposed in the direction of the length of said body portion to restrict its cxpansive action in a longitudinal direction only.

13. An elongate container adapted to receive 'liuid under pressure comprising a re-' silicnt body portion having incorporated therein strips of flexible material embodying unconnected cord elements disposed in parallelism, said strips being arranged respectively to traverse one end of the body portion and to provide end portions dis- )OSCLl in the direction of the length of said body portion to thereby restrict its expansive action in a longitudinal direction only.

' length thereof.

15. An elongate container adapted to receive thud under pressure including a body portion baring incorporated therein a plurality of strips of flexible material each strip being arranged to span one end of the body portion and to provide a long and a relatively short end portion disposed respectively upon opposite sides of the casing in parallelism with the main axis thereof disposed in edge to edge position and in alternating order to ellect a dove-tail arrangement of the long end portions. thereof.

16. An elongate container adapted to re ceire lluid under pressure including a body portion having incorporated therein a plurality of strips of flexible material disposed in pairs of aligned strips each of which is arranged to span one end of the body portion and to provide a long and a relatively short end portion disposed respectively upon opposite sides of the casing in the direction of the length thereof said end porlions being disposed in edge to edge relation and in alternating order arrangement of the long end portions and also to provide a slot bet-ween contiguous to cii'ect a dove-tail" ends of aligned strips one of said strips being adapted toprovide a loop at one end of the body portion, and a coating of resilient material for said casing adapted to expose said end portions and said slots.v 17. The herein described method that comprises, constructing' an expansible elongate container of vulcanizable material, position ing a reinforcing medium in strip form against the wvalls thereof to subsequently restrict their expansive action in the direction of the length of the container, and Vulcanizing the structure thus formed to incorporate the reinforcing medium in the Walls of thecontainer. I,

18. The, method of making airbags that comprises constructing an expansible container of vulcanizable material, positioning strips of vulcanizable material against the Walls thereof in of the container, ture thus formed to incorporate the strips with the material of the container whereby said container is restricted against expansion-in the direction of its length. I

19. The method of making airbags that comprises, constructing an expansible conthe direction of the. length tainer of vulcanizable material, positioningstrips of cord fabric against the Walls thereof in the direction of the lengtlrof the coin tainer, and "ul'canizing the structure thus termed to incorporate the strips with the material of-the containerwh'ereby said congtainer is restricted against expansion in the direction of its length.

20. The method of making airbags'that comprises constructing an expansible container of vulcanizable material, applying strips of cord fabric in U- formation about the end portions of the container and in the direction of the length thereof, and vulcanizing the structure thus formed to incorporate the strips with the material of the container whereby said container is restrict ed against expansion in the direction of its length. I

21. The method of making airbags that comprises constructing an elongate expansible container to traverse the end portions of the con tainer and to dispose in half sections, assembling. the sections, pos1t1on'1ng strips of cord tabric RICHARD s. BURDETTEI; v

and vulcanizingthe struc- 

